Censer stand

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Incense burner stand portraying a human figure with attributes of the so-called jaguar god of the underworld, which symbolizes the underworld sun. The tubular protrusions of his headdress are broken, and serpents emerge from behind his waist and fall to each side of his legs, the serpents' open...

Incense burner stand portraying a human figure with attributes of the so-called jaguar god of the underworld, which symbolizes the underworld sun. The tubular protrusions of his headdress are broken, and serpents emerge from behind his waist and fall to each side of his legs, the serpents' open mouths revealing their long fangs. The figure stands on a turtle shell from which emerges God N, a primary god of the underworld who also was one of the gods of Creation. Two profile beings with zoomorphic heads flank the main figure, each holding a long staff, and likely portraying bacabs, the supernatural beings who stand at the four corners of the cosmos and support the sky. Considered together, the imagery of this incense burner stand portrays the physical structure of the underworld.
The tall cylinder at the back of the sculpture originally supported a plate or low-walled dish filled with burning coals onto which incense would have been placed. The sculpture likely adorned the front of a ceremonial building.